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   Pap smear

   noun

   • 1. a test carried out on a sample of cells from the cervix to check for abnormalities that may be indicative of cervical cancer; a smear test: "a routine Pap smear revealed traces of cervical cancer"
   • ▪ a sample of cells collected from the cervix for testing: "Pap smears were reviewed by technicians"

   Word Origin 1960s: from a shortening of the name of the anatomist George Nicholas Papanicolaou, who devised the technique, + smear (sense 2 of the noun).

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